Silence in Death
by Fcuk-The-Universe
Summary: His stomach reacted violently to the image of Bane so still and quiet, and for the first time in his life, he sank down on the ground and cried for what he had lost. "I'm so sorry. I failed you." Slash. Review, please?


He watched, silently holding his gun in a show of dominance, keeping his eye on Bane's back, making sure no one, especially the Batman, got close enough to hurt him at all. He had sworn an oath to himself that he would protect Bane with his life, because what else would he do if the man he had been working for, the man who took him in and trusted his judgement, were to die? He knew the answer to that, and Bane knew the answer to that. He would break, and be nothing, and he knew that. He hefted the gun up a little higher, keeping an eye on the places someone could hide to fire off a shot at his leader, focusing on them in turn, one after the other in a cycle. He was too busy doing that, he hadn't noticed that Bane had stopped talking and sent everyone away, walking towards him in that slow, methodical way he used, and looked up to find his masked face inches away from his, Bane's calloused fingers brushing over his cheeks, skimming over his lips, and electric shocks spread from the contact. Barsad shook his head, amazed that such a big man could use such gentle motions, and laughed. Bane cocked his head and looked unblinkingly at his most trusted soldier, and waited. Barsad reached up with one hand and ran his fingers over the metal of the mask, and wishing for the millionth time that he could see what Bane really looked like. "How could someone who cares end up like this?" He felt rather than heard Bane snort, and the bigger man pulled back, causing Barsad's arm to fall back to his side. "No one cared who I was until I put on the mask". It was times like these when he wish he could fix the man, take away the pain and the need for the mask that keeps the pain at bay, but he can't, so instead he steps closer and laces their fingers together and leans in close to the mask, and he whispers "I fell in love with the person behind it." Before he could blink, Bane had pulled away and was walking, and he stumbled, almost falling but catching himself on the wall, watching Bane retreat and hearing the words called back to him coldly, "I'm a monster, Barsad. Remember that".

He gasped at the feel of those fingers running down his arms and over his shoulders, and he felt Bane shift above him, moving so he could pull Barsad closer with one hand and wrap the other around his hip, resting his masked face into his shoulder. Barsad arched and whined when he felt Bane retreat, moving backwards to sit on his heels, sliding his dark gaze over Barsad's exposed chest and arms, watching his fingers reach out to brush whatever part of Bane's naked chest he could reach. Barsad always seemed to be touching or standing close to his commander, and now, when they were alone and he could do it as freely as he wished, he didn't want to stop, kept his hands moving, running over Bane's head, down his scarred back, shivering at the feel of it under the pads of his fingers, digging his nails into the strong back. Bane tilted his head to look at Barsad and Barsad stared back into those eyes, not moving. He wondered what kind of thoughts were swirling around in his mind, wondered if those thoughts were about him. He shifted a little, as Bane's hand came up, wrapping itself around his neck, and he could feel that the grip was nothing compared to what it could be. He knew that Bane could kill him right now, with his hand around his neck, just one strong squeeze, but he saw the calm and relaxation in those eyes that were usually full of anger and pain, and Barsad smiled, safe in the fact that he knew Bane never would.

The hands, small and fragile compared to him, moved slowly down his back and along his sides, tracing over the raised scars there, and he sighed silently, shifting a little and he smiled slightly when he heard the yelp of surprise from the man perched on his back. He quickly rolled over, deftly pinning the other person beneath his body and traced a thumb down the stubble on their face, and looked into the slightly glazed eyes. "Are you sure?" His voice rumbled, and before he had finished his sentence, Barsad was nodding his head and reaching to pull him down, planting a kiss on the exposed side of his face and whispering in his ear, "I trust you." It was everything he thought it would be, and more, and the breath got knocked out of him when the larger and heavier man collapsed on top of his still sweaty body, but he made no move to get away, the weight comforting and relaxing and he just tightened his grip around Bane's shoulders. "I'm sorry". The soft voice made Bane lift his head and look at Barsad, puzzled. "For what?" He swallowed and looked at the wall, anything other than Bane's face and took a breath. "For this. I- Just sometimes, I think that you're only doing this for- for me, and I don't want that". Bane's eyes crinkled at the corners and he sat up, and the cold set in on the skim that was previously covered by the warmth of Bane. "Feelings, they always get in the way, don't they?" was all Bane said before Barsad watched him pull his pants back on and slowly walk away, and Barsad's heart sank. He flopped back onto the bed and gradually fell asleep, giving up on waiting to see if Bane came back. What greeted him in the morning made a small smile appear on his face, and he took comfort in the small gesture as he read the piece of paper and kicked the thin blanket away from his legs. "You looked cold." was all it said, but it renewed the hope in his chest that maybe there was something more between them.

Why Bane trusted Barsad so openly and without question was often talked about among the rest of his men. They saw the way Bane listened to Barsad and only Barsad, trusted his judgement and they all knew Barsad was the favourite. Their feelings about this ranged from anger, to disbelief, all the way through to jealousy. He was just like the rest of them, there to cater to the masked criminals every desire, every command. Time and time again, they saw Bane and Barsad engaged in quiet, hushed conversations, the smaller man almost but not quite getting Bane to laugh, and they were sure that during those times, behind his mask, he smiled. What did Barsad have that they didn't? They didn't know it, would never know it, but he had Bane's trust, maybe not his heart, but Bane knew that the other man loved him far more than Talia did or ever would. He knew, that without hesitation, Barsad would follow him to the ends of the earth, would never betray him, or let him down. He knew that if he could, if he had any to give, he could fall in love with the soft spoken and fiery man.

"His only crime, was that he loved me." Barsad stood in the shadows, listening. He wanted to show himself, to scream out, something to stop Talia from talking but he couldn't. Every bit of pain he had ever felt, it was nothing compared to what he felt now. Seeing Bane on the floor, weak and wheezing, it killed him from the inside out. He always knew Bane as the strong, intimidating man, and seeing him look so small and beaten at the hands of Wayne, he almost convinced himself that this was not his Bane. When it was just him and Bane, he rolled Bane onto his back and looked at him. The tubes on the front of his mask had bent and broken, beyond repair, but he still tried to fix it, fingers trembling and trying to slot it all together. Bane's eyes fluttered open and he slowly moved his hands away from the mask, rocking back on his heels. "I'm so sorry." Was all he could say, looking down at the broken body of his leader. Bane's hand reached up and weakly took off the remains of the mask. He was gorgeous, everything Barsad imagined he would look like. The rising and falling of Bane's chest were coming more slowly now, and Bane's fingers lightly touched his as the man took his last breath. Barsad stood and staggered away, making it outside and staying on his feet with help from a wall. His stomach reacted violently to the image of Bane so still and quiet, and for the first time in his life, he sank down on the ground and cried for what he had lost. "I'm so sorry. I failed you."

Review, pretty please?


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